Super Smash Bros lead developer Masahiro Sakurai had some choice words regarding the use of DLC in games today, and how he approached it for Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Wii U.
This comes from his monthly column in Famitsu, where he shoots the breeze on whatever he feels like, and today, his words are definitely worth reading.
He (translated) calls many modern games DLC scams, that charge customers extra money to complete unfinished products. Sakurai says he would himself be livid if a game were divided and sold into pieces. He also calls the frequency of these games nothing short of an epidemic.
Sakurai defends their choice to distribute, and later, sell Mewtwo as authentic premium DLC. It’s authentic DLC because the dev team worked on it far after they finished the main game, and he considers it premium based on the hard work that they put on it.
Sakurai also explained they changed track on how Mewtwo was to be distributed because they did not want some players to be missing out on what others had. Mewtwo was originally only a Club Nintendo reward for buying both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game.
Sakurai decided to make Mewtwo paid DLC, and add Lucas, and promise to add more, to please the fans. He is also straightforward about premium DLC coming soon after release to ensure they make money. If developers waited too long, they won’t profit off it as much.
Sakurai’s words are harsh, but there are definitely many gamers who’ve felt the burn of buying unfinished games at launch and would agree with him.
Do you think Sakurai has the right idea here? Or are you fine with DLC being the way it is now? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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